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Is Pocatello a Hopelessly Codependent Community???

Posted on: July 01, 2007

By Barbara Orr

Watching this hospital fiasco, watching other similar situations in the past where the decisions being made are not in the best interest of the general public. The sewer fee for Busch, the Chief Theatre transfer of insurance money, the insult to the Railroad which caused people to lose their jobs. The private projects taken over by the city, tax moneys wasted and public and
private funds being mixed inappropriately. Unequal taxation. Tax supported entities have taken over the entire landlord business in Pocatello; we have many tax supported entities in direct competition with private business in many sectors.

What’s right for the local population is seldom an issue. What’s expedient for small groups of people trying to control things for their own profit, or their own interest has prevailed unfortunately in the 30 years I have lived in Pocatello.

Pocatello has an elite class who evidently, in the eyes of their constituents, can do no wrong. Even though evidence of waste, fraud, and clear conflicts of interest b y tax supported entities can be clearly seen in the community, both now and historically,
They’re such “nice” people; they couldn’t possibly be in error, or criminals.

The behavior of Pocatello is clearly co-dependent, the voters re-elect bad politicians who make repeatedly stupid decisions, and seldom remove even blatant miscreants from positions or offices, people in private business are given numerous chances even though the management is obviously incompetent or disastrous.

As long as the abusive elite class in Pocatello is protected by their victims the stupidity and the lack of progress in this community will continue. How about turning them in instead, when you know of a crime, report it. It is against the law for any elected official to receive more than $50 in a benefit because of their office. It is inappropriate for a tax supported entity to compete with private business because they have a tax advantage, they pay NO property taxes, and it is against the law for members of any supervisory body of any company to break the law to avoid the consequences of their own actions. Unfortunately there are no laws to protect us from self interest or stupidity, except our unwillingness to accept it.

If the bad decisions being made about the hospital continue, it will be the “lesser” people who will suffer. The “lesser” people who will die without services. The lesser people who will be laid off by an entity which has wasted it’s resources and their hard work, and the “lesser” people who will pay the increased taxes we will all pay because of the incompetence of the current situations, however, that gives the abusers a really nice feeling when once again they are allowed to rape the “lesser” people.

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